It needs strong leadership and good coordination. But most of all, it needs public opinion to rise up and push policy makers to tackle this crisis. Canada can teach us a lesson in how to do that. Homelessness is a systemic housing problem – not caused by mental health issues or drug abuse. Presented at the Australian Homelessness Conference , Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) Speakers Tim Richter Founder, President & CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAE...
Nov 07, 2024•54 min
When you're alive, the idea of dying feels weird, remote, alien. Yet it's the one experience we will all have. Can philosophy help us make sense of that weirdness? What can talking about death and dying teach us about living? Natasha Mitchell is joined by a philosopher, funeral director, and a First Nations' songman for an uplifting, insightful conversation on death. This event is part of the Sophia Club live philosophy event series, presented by Aeon Media, publishers of Aeon and Psyche . Speak...
Nov 06, 2024•58 min
From To Kill a Mockingbird to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are no shortage of options to include on those lists of "The Great American Novel". But which is the real plot in the story of America? This event was recorded at the University of Melbourne on 24 October 2024. Speaker Sarah Churchwell Professor of American Literature and Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities, University of LondonAuthor, Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and The Invention of The Great Gatsby, The Wra...
Nov 04, 2024•50 min
Friends are among the most important relationships we will have in our lives. So what makes someone a friend, how do we hold on to them, and how do they shape who we are?
Oct 31, 2024•53 min
Why did acclaimed actor Melissa Jaffer step away from the spotlight and the swinging 60s to enter a strict cloister of Australian nuns for 4 years? Sister Marian McClelland is the last of two surviving members of the same Australian order of contemplative nuns. They became nuns at a time of radical change for women worldwide and for the Catholic Church and have extraordinary stories to tell about how faith shaped their sense of identity and purpose. They join Natasha Mitchell with oral historian...
Oct 30, 2024•59 min
Literature on crime is huge. Many of you just love to read about a good murder. But do you prefer a soft touch around violent scenes? Or do you want to read it in the drastic, graphic language that shows crime the way it is? Writing crime stories can be a minefield: Do authors have to tell people, if they want to use them in their book? Particularly if they want to paint 'your character' the villain? Can you re-traumatise a victim when you turn their painful experience into a bestseller? A stell...
Oct 28, 2024•54 min
From mis and disinformation to election interference, parts of the internet have become dystopian, due to a lack of regulation. What is this doing to our democracies, and how are governments around the world trying to reign the tech giants in? The 8th annual Sir Zelman Cowan Centre Oration was recorded on 10 October 2024. Speaker Jon Faine Vice Chancellor's Fellow at the University of MelbourneFormer ABC Radio hostAuthor, Apollo and Thelma...
Oct 27, 2024•57 min
Ninety years ago, in the face of communism, fascism, and the Great Depression, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, asked the question 'Is democracy doomed?' Today, we're asking that same question – with some answers that might surprise you. The 2024 Robert Menzies Oration was presented by the Robert Menzies Institute , recorded on 23 October 2024. The 2024 Henry Parkes Oration was recorded at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House on 22 October 2024. Speakers Sir Niall ...
Oct 25, 2024•54 min
Democracy is in retreat, authoritarianism on the rise. But this has happened before. So how did big thinkers of the past respond to the threats to democracy, and what can we learn from them? The Humanities Research Centre 50th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture was recorded at the Australian National University on 31 July 2024. Speakers Scott Stephens Co-presenter (with Waleed Aly) The MinefieldDigital editor, ABC Religion and EthicsCo-author of Quarterly Essay 87, Uncivil Wars: How Contempt is C...
Oct 25, 2024•55 min
When you're swimming in the ocean, do you ever startle at a piece of seaweed? Mistake a wave for a fin? Does the thought of sharks cross your mind at all? Nearly 50 years ago, a little movie by the name of Jaws, changed everything. This event was recorded at the National Film and Sound Archive, in partnership with the Australian National University, on 28 February 2024. Speakers Dr Hannah Calich Postdoctoral research fellow, Australian National University Professor Kenneth Lampl Convenor, Compos...
Oct 24, 2024•52 min
Remember the 8cm living worm found inside a woman's brain last year? Where the hell did it come from? Parasites have bizarre and whacky stories to tell. Join Natasha Mitchell to meet three scientists listening to what they have to say. The science, medicine, and mayhem of parasites. You'll have a whole new respect for these clever survivors and their biology. Thank you to the event organisers, the 2024 World Science Festival Brisbane and Queensland Museum Speakers Professor Katherine Andrews Par...
Oct 23, 2024•54 min
Irish Times columnist and author Fintan O'Toole draws on the Irish experience to explain the rise of populism and authoritarianism in the United States. This event was recorded at the Vice-Chancellor's Democracy Forum at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on 26 September 2024. Speakers Fintan O'Toole Columnist with the Irish TImesLiterary Editor with the New York Review of BooksAuthor of We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958, Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics...
Oct 22, 2024•54 min
David McAllister invites you backstage and reveals gloriously gossipy anecdotes about the stars he's met in his long dancing career. But it's not all tutus and tiaras: ballet is at the top of transforming sport science. Presented at the Brisbane Writers Festival . Speakers David McAllister Guest artistic director of the West Australian Ballet, former principal dancer, former artistic director of The Australian BalletAuthor of Ballet Confidential: A personal behind-the-scenes guide, Thames & ...
Oct 21, 2024•50 min
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has fought against antisemitism worldwide for over a century. It is now documenting a dangerous rise in antisemitism, and the connection between conspiracy theorists, white supremacy, pro-Palestine anti-war protests, and hate speech. ADL board member, prominent Iranian-American Jewish philanthropist and academic Dr. Sharon Nazarian presents the inaugural Gahl Hodges Burt Lecture in Policy at the American Academy in Berlin . Speaker Dr Sharon Nazarian Board member...
Oct 17, 2024•54 min
Two Australians who are intimately connected to the conflict in the Middle East, one Jewish, one Palestinian, make their pleas for peace, and share their deeply personal stories of how it has affected them. The 13th annual UN International Day of Peace Brisbane lecture was recorded at St John's Anglican Cathedral on September 21, 2024. Speakers Peter Cat Dean, St John's Cathedral Brisbane Louise Adler Director, Adelaide Writers Week Nasser Mashni President, Australians for Palestine Further info...
Oct 16, 2024•54 min
One of Australia's most seasoned political journalists Niki Savva has seen the fractures in our democracy up closer than most. Hear her timely advice for journalists, politicians and citizens. This 2024 Speaker's Lecture was recorded at Parliament House in Canberra on 9 September 2024. SOS DEMOCRACY airs on Tuesdays 8pm and Saturdays 10pm in October and November, and on the ABC Listen app. Speakers Niki Savva Columnist, Nine NewspapersAuthor, The Road to Ruin, Plots and Prayers and Bulldozed Mil...
Oct 15, 2024•47 min
Are you a gazelle or a grizzly bear when you run? The bounce in your step defines whether you're a stronger sprinter or long-distance runner — and choosing the right sport for your biomechanics determines whether you can get to the top of the podium. Find out more about the secret weapon of biomechanics, the theory of optimal speed control within racing endurance, and how performance psychology has an impact both on and off the track. The Science of Sport was presented at the York Festival of Id...
Oct 14, 2024•53 min
Can you have a wedding between the graves? Why not! – as long as it's respectful. The future of cemetery design is multi-functional, as public spaces just like our gardens and parks. And also as a refuge for animals in the midst of our cities and suburbs. They can be places for the living as well as the dead. How can cemeteries play a broader role in our communities? Six Feed Under: Design and Death Symposium , Melbourne Design Week. Presented by Open House Melbourne. Speakers Hamish Coates Prin...
Oct 10, 2024•54 min
Renowned and controversial Australian philosopher and bioethicist Peter Singer is no stranger to contentious ideas — wrestling with the ethics of how we treat each other and other species — infanticide, altruism, veganism and more. He joins Big Ideas' host Natasha Mitchell to talk about why. This event was organised by The Wheeler Centre and Montalto Winery Speaker: Professor Peter SingerBioethicist and authorFounder of The Life You Can Save Further information: The Life You Can Save Oxford Univ...
Oct 09, 2024•54 min
Big Ideas celebrates the blooming daphne with a look at the life, work and legacy of a pioneer of Australian landscape gardening, Edna Walling. This event was recorded on April 16, 2024 at the State Library of Victoria . Speakers Trisha Dixon Writer, photographer, tour guide leaderCo-author (with Jennie Churchill) The Vision of Edna Walling: Garden Plans 1920-1951 (1998), and Gardens in Time: In the Footsteps of Edna Walling (1988) Sara Hardy Biographer, playwright, former actorAuthor, The Unusu...
Oct 08, 2024•54 min
The United Nations was established after World War II in an attempt to maintain international peace, security, and cooperation. So why now, in the face once again of rising global conflicts, are the UN, and other world bodies, laws, and mechanisms, so unable to address these crises? This event was recorded at the University of Melbourne on 29 August 2024. Speakers Professor Alison Duxbury Deputy Dean, University of Melbourne Law School Dr Tania Miletic Co-Director, Initiative for Peacebuilding, ...
Oct 07, 2024•54 min
We've lived through the age of peak TV, (and wasn't it glorious). Then cinema was BACK, thanks to the hype of Barbenheimer. So, in this post Hollywood writers' strike world, how do we define the era of culture we are now consuming? This event was recorded at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 17 August 2024. Speakers Jared Richards ABC Entertainment reporter Alison Willmore Film critic, Vulture and New York magazines Hannah Diviney Disability advocate, actress, screenwriter and author ...
Oct 03, 2024•59 min
Does the Milky Way have a sibling and how are stars formed? How can a telescope go back over 13 billion years ago to the Cosmic Dawn? The ASTRO 3D Centre of Excellence are unlocking some of the deepest mysteries of our universe and produced perhaps the clearest and most comprehensive picture of how matter, chemical elements, and energy evolved. Some of the astronomers and astrophysicists involved share their insights. Presented by ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions...
Oct 02, 2024•53 min
Every autistic person is different, with their own strengths and challenges. We shouldn’t be asking what jobs are suitable for them. Rather: How can we make this specific job suitable for this autistic person? The result is a thriving employee with unique abilities. On Big Ideas, we’ll debunk myths like that autistic people don’t recognise emotion or don’t have social skills. You can see how wrong this perception is in the ABC TV series The Assembly. The Assembly on ABC iview Speakers Diana Tan ...
Oct 01, 2024•53 min
Surveys constantly reveal that a huge number of us are not sleeping well. What is that doing to our mental and physical health? This event was recorded at the University of Sydney's Raising the Bar night, on 9 April 2024. Speaker Dr Jacob Crouse Research fellow, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney Further information ABC Sleeptember...
Sep 30, 2024•54 min
The art and ethics of artisanal trades, from stone masonry to roof plumbing to limestone mortar plastering. What can be done to revive many of these traditional trades and bring them sustainably into the 21st century? Recorded Melbourne Design Week — presented by the Heritage Council of Victoria and the National Trust of Victoria Speakers Glen Rundell Windsor Chair maker from the Central Highlands Co-Founder Lost Trades Fair, Kyneton Victoria Samantha Westbrooke Executive Manager, Advocacy &...
Sep 26, 2024•54 min
Liana Buchanan is a guardian of the rights of our most precious asset - our children. In a keynote speech, the Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, Victoria, presents some brutal realities of the failures in some systems that are meant to protect children at risk in Victoria. But there is hope. Amelia Hunt, a young person who has experienced out of home care describes how young people are raising their voices and having direct input into reforms. Recorded at the Castan Centre fo...
Sep 25, 2024•54 min
Student activists from the Pacific Islands successfully got the International Court of Justice to define the responsibilities of nations to combat climate change, and the legal consequences of failing to do so. This is the story of their win. Seeing first-hand the dire impact of climate change in their countries, they want to ensure nations around the world understand their obligations to take positive climate action. The 2024 Talbot Oration presented by the Australia Museum Speakers Chynthia Ho...
Sep 24, 2024•54 min
The median Australian house price is now about $800,000 – almost eight times the average income – and well beyond the reach of many people, without help. So how did we get here, and with a federal election looming, are the political parties game to seriously take this on? "Any solution to housing that is easy and popular won't work." — Alan Kohler Presented at the Sydney Writers Festival and Readings Bookshop . Speakers Alan Kohler Finance presenter, ABCAuthor of The Great Divide: Australia's Ho...
Sep 23, 2024•55 min
Australia's high country is a spectacular and precious place. It's also a place that is changing, with shorter, less predictable snowfall. So, what does the future hold for the Alpine region, in a changing climate? This event was recorded on 13 June, 2024 at the Australian National University in partnership with Protect Our Winters Australia and the Australian Mountain Research Facility. Speakers Ruby Olsson Lead author, Our Changing Snowscapes: Climate change impacts on and recommendations for ...
Sep 19, 2024•54 min
